The Internet vs. the Philadelphia [hate] crime

The Crime

On Sept. 12, the internet was rife with shock as a hate crime reported from Philadelphia rippled across several news outlets. The injuries were grotesque, and the story was horrible: two men were walking down the street when a large group of people allegedly attacked them after they said they were gay.

According to witnesses, it was around 10:45pm on Sept. 11 when the 26 and 28 year-old males were approached by a visibly intoxicated group of two men and six women, all of whom were caucasian and well-dressed. The group began harassing the men, and when the answer to “Is this your f****** boyfriend?” was “yes,” the group began beating the men by punching and kicking them in the chest, head, and face.

The gang then stole one of the victim’s bag, containing his cellphone, wallet, and credit cards and ran off in an unspecified direction.

An eyewitness account is transcribed below:

The victims suffered from several injuries. One of the victims is speaking through a special contraption due to his jaw being wired shut for a two month recovery period. They both experienced several facial and orbital fractures. The victims wish to remain anonymous.

The Law

The state of Pennsylvania does not clarify attacks on the grounds of sexual orientation. Their laws cover race, religion, and ethnicity, but have long omitted sexual orientation from such protections. The guilty party therefore cannot be charged with a hate crime.

Openly gay State Representative Brian Sims aims to change that, but it’s unlikely to happen anytime soon. “One of the things I’ve learned is that sometimes it takes a horribly negative experience to get people out of their seats, for them to be active and engaged,” Sims tells Philly Mag. “It’s not necessarily because they’re opposed but because they aren’t aware of the need. So we are going to be sure to utilize this horrible event to make sure that they hear about it. I’m going to be bringing two people with me who will be able to tell them all about it.”

Another Pennsylvania politician recently announced his homosexuality when pushing for the passage of the new gay-inclusive hate crime rhetoric. Pennsylvania state senator Jim Ferlo said he never tried to hide his sexuality, and announced his by saying “I’m gay, get over it,” and urged his fellow democrats to pass Sims’ bill. A change.org petition has been created to include sexual orientation in Pennsylvania hate crime laws. You can sign it here.

The Internet

Police released a video that the victims had identified their attackers with: a surveillance  tape from a nearby building showing a group of people walking by. The video has since been removed from YouTube and will most likely be used as evidence for the trial.

The Philadelphia police released the video, hoping the public would be able to identify the members of the group, and it was extremely successful. Within hours, Greg Bennett posted the following photo where the group and location were identified via other social media users:

  And the proof:

Which was followed up by a thank you from Joseph Murray of the Philadelphia Police Dept:

The Suspects

Though it’s estimated that there were 12 people present during the alleged hate crime, there is already testimony that some of them did not participate in the violence. Witnesses say they estimate eight of the twelve took part in the beatings.

One of the first reactions of the crime and the connections made on social media was the resignation of Catholic high school basketball coach, 25-year-old Fran McGlinn. “He was terminated this evening and will not be permitted to coach in any archdiocesan school,” said Kenneth Gavin, a spokesman for the Archdiocese. “We expect all those who work with students in our schools to model appropriate Christian behavior at all times.” A follow up with the Archdiocese clarified that McGlinn had resigned, but had he not, he would have been terminated. Warrants were released for only three people, and police expected the suspects to turn themselves in. The Philadelphia DA released the following statement:

Though we won’t go into details, Katherine Knott has a history of homophobic language and beliefs which she has expressed over social media several times. She is also an alcohol drinker, and has commented on her heavy use on social media as well. She is the daughter of the Chalfont, Pennsylvania police chief.

The three suspects turned themselves in and were released on bail around 3:30am Thursday.  

Defense lawyers will argue anti-gay bias didn’t motivate their clients.